


All that Matters - Book One

by yams888888



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Goat Miraculous, Light Angst, Other, Rooster Miraculous, Slow Burn, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25053133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yams888888/pseuds/yams888888
Summary: The first day of term was already rough for Marc, between attending a new school and getting in trouble during the first class. But when he finds a carved jewellery box in his bag, things take a turn for the worse.
Relationships: Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Kudos: 11





	1. Origins

Marc dropped his bag by his desk, before face-planting into his bed. The first day of term had been… rough. Between going to a brand new school and having science first period, things weren’t going great. And then some ginger had tried to nab his book. Wait... did he lose it?

He got out of his bed, then began rummaging through his bag. He lay his hand on something else, something strange. He could feel an energy pulsating from it, filling him with a sense of calm; the type of calm that feels odd, like it shouldn’t belong. The object grew warmer in his hand, like it was about to burn it, but it didn’t. 

Well, Marc thought, This is probably a bomb. His hand closed around the object, taking it out of his bag with care. It was octagonal, with an intricate pattern carved on the top. False alarm. It was a jewellery box, not a bomb. 

“Huh. I suppose it won’t hurt to open it.” Marc pried the box open, and a flash of blinding light filled his room. 

“Nope, definitely a bomb!” As soon as it started, the light closed in on itself. Marc lay there, shaking, yet seemingly unscathed from the explosion. 

There is no way I should be alive right now.

~~~~~

Nathaniel stared out the window, itching to draw the hazy cityscape that lay before him. He slipped his sketchbook out from his bag, taking great care to look inconspicuous. He got out his pencil, and began sketching, only to get caught.

"Nathaniel," barked Mrs. Mendeleiev, "Hand over that book immediately!" Nathaniel got up from his seat, shuffling towards the front of the classroom. 

"You may collect it from me at lunch. Now back to your seat!" It was only his second class of the day, and he had already gotten in trouble. Nathaniel spent the rest of his classes in a frenzy. He had to get his sketchbook back. 

At lunch he entered the room, only to find someone else standing near his book. He was rather lanky, with a bright red hoodie and sloppily cuffed jeans. Nathaniel walked towards the desk, then picked up his sketchbook.

As he was about to leave, he heard a loud yell.

“Hey jerk, you got the wrong book!”

He turned around, to see the guy with another book nearly identical to his in his hands. He dropped it, before snatching the other book from Nathaniel.

“What the heck?”

Nathaniel bent down to pick up the book he had dropped, which was indeed his sketchbook.

After the encounter, Nathaniel couldn’t focus for the rest of the day. What the heck was up with that random guy being so possessive over that book? He got home, trying to find that box of markers he left in his bag. Instead, he found something else. A jewellery box. 

“Wow.” His fingers brushed against the lid, feeling the pattern carved in glazed mahogany.

“The amount of work that must’ve been put into this is incredible,” he thought. His hands came to lay on an intricate metal clasp. Unable to restrain himself, he opened the box.

A great flash of fiery-red energy burst forward. Each hair on Nathaniel’s arm stood up, as the energy coursed through him. He could feel each bit of flesh burning away, yet when he looked down at his hands they were fine. The energy swelled up, before collapsing in on itself, forming into something else. Something like… a rooster?

~~~~~

“Alright, Marc, calm down, there’s no need to fuss. Just try to see the facts.” Marc looked around his room. The explosion had knocked off his sheets, and sent his desk lamp to the far corner of his room. He sighed. 

“Fact one. My name is Marc Anciel. This morning I went to school, and I came back at 4:30.” He began to pace around his room, breathing deeply. 

“Fact two. I just opened a jewellery box, which exploded.”He glanced at the box. Despite the chaos that had ensued, it was seemingly unscathed. 

“Fact three, there is no way that this box or I should be ok. From that I can assume that I’m probably dead or in a coma, and this is simply an elaborate fantasy that my brain has created during its last living stages. There is no way that this is real.” 

As soon as he said that something began to feel off. He heard a low giggle emanating from under his bed. It soon grew into a laugh, which surrounded the room.

“Well, that was quite the detective work you did there,” said a high pitched voice. “But next time, try to get your facts straight.”

~~~~~

The rooster opened his eyes.

“Well, this certainly is… an interesting setup you have, Nathaniel,” it said, gesturing to his messy bed sheets and formerly neat stacks of paper now strewn throughout his room. Nathaniel stared at the creature, his eyes widening.

“How do you know my name,” he asked, while poking the poor thing.

“I know many things. I am Orikko, your humble servant,” said the creature, bowing. 

“Wait- are you like a god? Or maybe a genie!”

“No, I am a kwami.” Nathaniel stared blankly, 

“A cosmic being representing infinite power? A kwami? You know- like- never mind. Let’s get to the point. You, Nathaniel have been chosen to wield the miraculous of the rooster. With the power of 10 suns, you will protect Paris. There seems to be a rising evil, and I will tell you how to defeat-”

“How does that work?”

“What?”

“The suns thing? Like do I just cast fireball or…” Nathaniel sensed that the rooster’s patience began to wear thin. 

“Nathaniel, my patience is wearing thin,” said Orikko. “Please understand, I have rehearsed an entire, awe-inspiring speech, explaining to you how you will be a guardian of Paris with another hero. On how you will use your miraculous to transform and use your power to defeat evil. I had rehearsed a speech which you would remember till your dying days, and yet you have the audacity to ask if you are able to perform a generic spell typically found in a fantasy board game?”

“Well, I’m just wondering if that’s what my power is?” Orikko paused, seemingly frustrated, before speaking once more. 

“Yes, Nathaniel. Your power is… casting fireball.”

“Awesome!!!”

~~~~~

Marc froze. A small animal then floated out from his bed, looking like a vague imitation of a goat. The thing then spoke,

“I believe I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Ziggy, your kwami.”

“My what-now? I am definitely hallucinating.” Ziggy rolled their eyes.

“Well, considering you’re  _ that _ type I suppose I’ll start from the beginning. Marc Anciel, you have been trusted with the Goat Miraculous. Using this, you will protect Paris from a great evil.”

“Great evil? How, pray tell, am I supposed to do that?”

“It’s quite simple, actually. Every miraculous holder has a special power, like the power of creation, or destruction.”

“Oh, what’s my power?”

“That is… irrelevant. All you need to know are two things: how to transform into a superhero, and how to purify akuma-“

“W-what? I can’t know my power?”

“I’m sorry Marc, this is a complex matter and you’re not ready yet. I can’t explain now, just-“ Marc’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it, and saw in bold white letters: Rock Monster terrorises central Paris. All citizens warned to stay indoors.

“Ziggy, care to explain?”

“Well Marc, that sounds like an akuma, so I say we check it out. Now remember de-akumatization is a very simple process, you just need-“

“We don’t have time for this!!! Can’t you just give me a really quick run-through instead”

“Ughh, fine.”

~~~~~

Nathaniel ran past the buildings, making his way down the empty streets. He ran atop the roofs, a cool summer breeze blowing through the air. He leapt, the warm August breeze blowing against his cheek. For a moment, he felt as if he was flying. Then, he fell flat on his face. 

“Who are you," hissed a deep, clear voice. A person dressed head to toe in a black and white jumpsuit, with a long, flowing cloak had pinned him down. They drew their twin swords closer to Nathaniel’s throat.

“Go on, answer me? Who are you?” Nathaniel’s eyes drifted to the person’s earrings, shaped like ram horns. Another miraculous holder? Maybe it was that hero Orikko mentioned.

“I am…Coq Rouge. I get my powers from a tiny Rooster dude about this big?

Uh, I think I’m supposed to help you stop those… evil butterfly thingies???”

“Akumas.”

“Gesundheit. Anyways, it seems like you’ve got a miraculous too, so….” The person relaxed their swords, and unpinned Nathaniel.

“Well… Coq Rouge. I suppose I’ll let you go for now. Though there’s one thing you need to know. Give me one hint that you’re working for the bad guys and it will be over. Right here, right now. Got it?”

“Nice to meet you too! Now that you’ve spared my life, is it possible if you would be so sweet as to spare me your name too?”

“Uhh… Silène.” They flipped their swords back into their scabbards, before setting off.

After some time, the pair finally found the monster. It was taller than them, made of stone, with gaping holes where its eyes should be. 

“Alright,” said Silène, “You distract the thing, I’ll chop its arms off, afterwards we can find the akuma. Got it?”

Coq Rouge nodded. He ran in front of the beast, getting its attention. When he turned around to signal Silène, they were gone. Of course. Then, he saw a flash of black and white, and Silène ran back, panting.

“Did it work?”

They turned back, seeing that their sword had barely made a dent in the thing. Promptly, they picked up Coq Rouge, running to the top of the building. 

“Okay, we need a new battle strategy.” Coq Rouge sat for a moment, completely still. Then he leapt up, straight into the unclenched fist of the golem. 

“Follow me,” yelled Coq Rouge.

“Follow you? Are you mad?” Silène stood their ground, crouching near the monster. Coq Rouge looked back at them.

“Trust me.”

  
  


~~~~~

_ Trust him? I barely know him,  _ Silène thought.  _ It’s too risky. _ Still, it was clear that Coq Rouge was going to get crushed by that monster, and it’s not like Silène had a better plan. So trust him, they did.

Silène sprang up from their hiding place, lunging at the monster. It unclenched its fist, grabbing them by their cloak. As it grabbed them, a small rock fell out from its fist. 

Coq Rouge turned to Silène. “That’s the akuma, right?”

Silène nodded, wiggling out of their cloak. Then, in another flash of purple and black, they destroyed the rock, causing the akuma to escape from it.

As soon as the rock was destroyed, the golem disappeared, leaving Ivan in its place. 

“Wh- what happened?”

Coq Rouge walked up to Ivan. 

“Nothing much, you just got infected by some purple butterfly, turned into a giant stone monster and went on a rampage.”

“I did what!?!”

“It’s fine, go home, blow off some steam, and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Oh, ok.”

Ivan ran back home, leaving Coq Rouge and Silène alone. 

“Hey, good job Silène!”

“Thanks. You too.”

And with that, Silène gruffly high-fived Coq Rouge, before leaping away. 

~~~~~

“And he found the akuma?”

“Yeah, it was pretty quick thinking on his part.” Marc fell back on his bed, exhaling. 

“Afterwards, I broke it and then he de-transformed, and we congratulated each other, so it was pretty great overall.”

“That’s great. Now, you did remember to purify the akuma, right?”

Marc’s eyes widened. 

“Purify it?”

“Marc! You know the akuma can multiply, right?”

Marc looked out of his bedroom window. A swarm of black butterflies flew swept through the streets, like a plague of locusts. 

“Crap…”


	2. Trials and Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new disease sweeps through Paris, turning its victims to stone.

Marc sat on his bed, his heart racing. The first opportunity he had to succeed at something, to protect Paris, and he failed. Even Ziggy could sense his frustration.

“Marc, don’t beat yourself up about it. Even the best of heroes make mistakes….”

“You mean mistakes that could cost the lives of thousands of people?”

“No one’s going to die, you just need to capture the akuma. I can help you, just... give it a chance.”

Marc turned over, pulling his bedsheets over his head. 

“I’m going to sleep. Maybe this is just some awful dream.” 

~~~~~

Nathaniel woke up the next morning, seemingly oblivious to the swarm of akumas tearing through Paris. As he walked down the usual route to school with Alix, he came upon a stone statue, similar in size to the one he had battled the previous day.

“Hmm, that statue looks familiar,” said Nathaniel.

“Who knows? Maybe it's a new pop-up artist?”

“Probably.”

Unfortunately, that was not the case. As Alix and Nathaniel walked into their classroom, chaos ensued. 

Alya ran up to the two.

“Hey, did you guys hear what happened yesterday?”

“No…”

“Well there was this giant stone monster that rampaged around Bondy, look!”

Alya whipped out her phone, showing footage of the same stone monster that Nathaniel had fought. It tore through streets of people, laying waste to whatever was in its path.

“Nobody knows where it came from. Some people think it might’ve been a government experiment of some sort. And right here,” Alya said as she paused the video, 

“You can see two other people trying to fight it off. My theory is that it might be some human experiment that they’re trying to contain. Maybe that would explain...” 

Alya’s phone buzzed, a news alert popping up. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“Did you guys see those stone statues on your way to school?”

“Uh yeah,” said Nathaniel, unsure of where this was heading.  
  


“Apparently they used to be people.”

The full class fell silent. Alya scrolled through the article, reading it out.

“Those affected by the unknown disease were allegedly going through states of emotional turmoil.”

Nathaniel glanced across the room. He saw the outline of a small butterfly in the corner of his eye.

“Pfft, emotional turmoil? Don’t tell me Ivan’s gonna freak out just cuz I’ve been teasing him about his crush.”

“Kim, stop it,” said Ivan.

“Stop what? I’m not doing anything wrong. Besides, I can’t help the fact that you don’t even have the guts to confess to Myl-”

“I SAID STOP IT!”

~~~~~

Marc lay in the corner of his class, watching over the frenzy of students near the front. Ms. Mendeleiv walked in, seemingly trying to regain composure amidst the rows of chattering students. She set down her laptop, then spoke. Her voice trembled. 

“Now, everybody, calm down. I know that there have been rumors flying around that the school might close due to… recent events. I understand some of you may be worried, especially since this is only the start of the new term. I can assure you that in all circumstances, we will remain open. Now open your books to page twenty.”

Someone burst through the door, breathing heavily. 

“Who are you?”

“Nathaniel Kurtzberg ma’am. Ms. Bustier’s class? One of my classmates turned to stone. Principal says we need to evacuate immediately.”

Chaos. Everyone rushed to the door, trying to get out. Marc slipped through the crowd, sprinting to the bathrooms. He shut himself in one of the stalls, taking care to lock the door. 

“Oh god, now someone in our school has turned to stone. What’s going on?”

Ziggy popped out of Marc’s book bag.

“What’s going on is that the akuma multiplied and infected everyone else.”

“So the akumas have become some sort of virus that can infect anybody now?”

“Yeah I suppose.”

“And like any virus, we can take it out at the source. If I take out the original source maybe Coq Rouge won’t get mad at me for not purifying the akuma. Ziggy, do you have any idea where the first akuma came from?”

Ziggy pursed their lips together, then glanced sideways. 

“I have no clue where the akuma came from. Sorry Marc, but you have to face those stone monsters head on. Even though you messed up, I’m sure Coq Rouge wouldn’t be angry at you.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Marc clipped on his miraculous.

“Ziggy, transform me!”

~~~~~

Silène ran out, only to crash into Coq Rouge. He turned around, before giving Silène a crooked grin. 

“Well, you showed up fast. Anyways it seems like that evil butterfly thing multiplied, but I think if you purify the main one that infected Ivan the rest of them will be fine.”

Silène nodded.

“Oh, by the way, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, why would I be?”

“Oh y’know, if it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”

"Eh, you’re still able to fix this mess, aren’t you?”

Silène jumped up to the roof of the school, crouching down. They noticed the other statues had come to life, guarding the main one. 

“If we want to get to the main one, we need to immobilise the others.”

“Well, I can cast fireball. Perhaps I could melt the others?”

“No, that won’t work, you’ll cause too much damage.”

“Right. Well, there’s still your power, isn’t there?”

Silène sighed deeply, shaking their head. “It’s a long story.”

They glanced at the school's flagpole, noticing the excess of rope. Was it large enough to - yes it had to be. They stared at Ivan, rampaging down the streets, towards a dead end.

“Grab this, and wrap it around your arrow, but don’t shoot until I tell you to,”  
  


Coq Rouge nodded, grabbing the rope and tying it to his arrow. He shot it out, trapping the other stone golems away from Ivan. Using his bow, he zip-lined on the rope, once again leaping into Ivan’s fist. 

Silène ran down, straight at Ivan, their feet pounding against the crushed asphalt. Adrenaline coursed through their veins. They felt another spirit inside themself, intertwined with the power of the miraculous. It was tired of running away, tired of holding back, tired of compromising. Now was time to face things head-on.  
  


They leaped into the other fist, only to be grabbed by their cloak. The stone in Ivan’s hand fell, Silène wriggled out of their cloak, and smashed the stone yet again. The akuma flew out, but this time, Silène caught it in the handle of their sword. It let out a brilliant flash of light, before a small white butterfly flew away. 

With that, Ivan’s stone exterior dissolved, leaving only Ivan himself. 

“Oh no, don’t tell me it happened again!”

Silène walked up to Ivan, followed closely by Coq Rouge.

“It’s okay, you haven’t managed to hurt anyone,” said Silène, “But I’m wondering, what caused you to be so angry in the first place?”

“Oh uh.. there’s a guy in my class, Kim, and he was teasing me about this girl, um… it’s kinda silly now that I think about it…”

“Of course not,” said Coq Rouge who remembered what happened in class. “If you really like her that much, you should tell her or something. Make that Kim guy eat his words.”

“Oh really? Thanks!” Ivan ran away.

“Hey, good job Silène.”

“You t-“

Silène was (rather rudely) interrupted by a short, brown haired girl who had filmed the entire battle from the sidelines.

“Wow. What you guys did back there was SO. FREAKING. COOL. What’s your guys’ names? Are you government agents? Or some type of vigilantes?” She stuck out her hand. “Oh, I’m Alya by the way.”

Silène turned around only to find that Coq Rouge had already left. The students who evacuated were already flooding into the building. 

“Uhh… I’m Silène, he’s Coq Rouge, I guess we’re vigilantes, gotta go byeee!”

Silène leapt back into the boys’ bathroom, shutting themself into a stall before de-transforming. 

~~~

After a rather eventful morning, Nathaniel was starving. “Wow, superhero stuff really takes its toll,” he muttered to himself. Alix turned around, staring at him. 

“What?”

“Oh nothing, just a uh… comic I’m planning!”

“Ok…”

Alix and Nathaniel walked into the lunchroom, only for Nathaniel to bump into somebody else. They both fell on the floor. Nathaniel helped the other person up, before brushing off his own clothing.

“Hey, sorry about that, are you ok?” He glanced at the person. It was the same guy from yesterday!

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Wait… I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

“Uh yeah, I think we saw each other in Ms. Mendeleiv’s room. Sorry for picking up your book by the way, I couldn’t tell it apart from my own.”

“It’s fine. You- you didn’t read it by the way, did you?”

“No… Why?”

The guy flinched. “Nothing really. It just has some of my old writing, that’s all.”

“Hey, if you still write you can always join us in the art room on Mondays after school. It’s really chill, just me, Alix, and a couple of other people. My name’s Nathaniel by the way.”

“Marc.”

As they were about to shake hands, Marc’s phone buzzed. 

“Uh sorry, I need to go now, byeeee!”

He ran away. Alix nudged Nathaniel with her elbow, smirking. 

“Well well well, seems you two hit it off.”

“C’mon Alix, you know I have a crush on Marinette,” said Nathaniel, blushing. 

“Sure sure. Still, it seems like Marinette’s had her eye on that new guy, Adrien. Don’t you think it’s time to move on?”

“Alix, we’re talking about some random guy from a different class. At least I _know_ Marinette!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I hope you liked the new update. I've already planned out the next 11 chapters, though I'm still unsure about which chapter I should publish next. The ones I'm deciding between are called "The Pocketwatch" and "Freedom of the Press" btw. Another thing to note is that the first few chapters will be based on canon episodes from the show.
> 
> EDIT: The update is taking a bit longer than I thought it would. Hopefully I'll have it finished by the 14th :)


	3. The Pocketwatch

Marc opened the door, taking a step into the art room. 

“Hey, you came,” said Nathaniel, sitting at one of the scratched pine tables. A tall girl with dark hair spoke. 

“Is this the guy you were telling us about?”

“Oh, right, I forgot to introduce everyone! Ok, so this is Marc. Marc, I think you already know me and Alix. This,” said Nathaniel, gesturing to the dark haired girl, “Is Juleka.”

“Hey.”

“And that’s Rose,” he said, pointing to a short blonde girl with headphones on.

“Oh, uh, hi,” said Marc. He sat down near Nathaniel, pulling out his black book. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls continued with their conversation.

“I still can’t believe he dared you, Alix. It’s only been like a week since we started school.”

“Yeah, but you know what Kim’s like, Juleka. Besides, if I win, he’d have to give up daring for the rest of the year.”

Marc glanced towards Nathaniel, confused. He spoke loudly,

“There’s this guy in our class, Kim? Yeah, he basically dared Alix to a race, said that if she won, he’d give up daring. And if she lost-”

“Yea but it’s not like I’m gonna lose to him. After all, I’ll be on my skates while he’s sprinting.”

Nathaniel grinned, looking at Marc. “You should come. It might be fun to watch.”

“Ok…” Marc looked down at his book again, continuing to write for another half-hour, until his phone alarm went off. 

“Sorry, gotta go!”

“Ok, see you on Friday!”

“Yea, I’ll be racing at Trocadéro Square!”

~~~~~

Alix ran into the restaurant, scanning the tables until she found her father. She bolted to the table, collapsing on the stiff wooden chair. 

“Hey dad,” she said out of breath, “Am I late?”

“No, you’ve arrived just in time.” He pulled out a small box, tied together with a satin bow. “I believe it’s your birthday today, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, I totally forgot!” Alix held the small box. She could feel a strange energy pulsating from it, almost like a small heartbeat. 

“W-what is it?”

“Why don’t you open it and find out?”

Alix opened the small box. Inside of it was a gleaming silver pocket watch, with the emblem of a rabbit engraved on it. 

“A pocket watch?”

“Not just any pocket watch, but a family heirloom. It was passed down through our family for centuries. You know we come from a family of inventors, don’t you Alix?” Her father flipped a switch on the watch. It opened, revealing delicate metal figurines. They began to dance. Alix watched in amazement. 

She could barely stammer, “Woah. Thanks dad!”

~~~~~

Nathaniel rode towards the square pedaling as fast as he could on his bike. It was a beaten up thing; a hand-me down from his dad who bought it sometime in the early 90s. Most of the leather and padding on the seat had come loose, leaving only a cold metal rim. Every few minutes or so, the brakes would jam, forcing him to stop. It wasn’t the best, but it was faster than walking, and cheaper than taking the metro. He leapt off the bike, stopping by a small crowd that formed near the sidewalk. At the edge of the crowd was Marc who kept fidgeting and looking around. He seemed a bit tense.

“Hey,” said Nathaniel, walking up to Marc.

“Hi. You’re just in time for the race.”

“Hey Nathaniel, we thought you weren’t going to show up,” said Marinette, clutching a handmade poster at the centre of the crowd. 

“Oh you know, crappy bike and all. It’s a miracle I managed to show up.”

He turned towards the street, and waved towards Alix. She grinned, waving back. She turned to Kim.

“So, how’s it gonna feel losing to me?”

“Losing to you? Don’t get your hopes too high.”

Kim smirked, then tensed up, pressing his heels against the cobbled street. Max stood on the other side of the road, acting as a referee.

“On your marks! Get set! G-“

“Oh, I almost forgot! Marinette, could you hold my watch for me while I race?”

“Sure, I just need someone else to hold up the poster.”

“I’ll do it,” said Nathaniel.

Alix handed the watch to Marinette, as Nathaniel gripped the poster. Max stared, clearly annoyed.

“Alright, is everyone ready? Yes? Okay, remember, 10 laps around the square, first one here wins. On your marks, get set, go!”

Alix and Kim tore off, disappearing round the corner of the street.

“WOOO! Go Alix!”

Marinette clutched the watch as tightly as she could while cheering. She turned back towards Nathaniel.

“Wow she’s really good at skating.”

“I know, right?”

Nathaniel felt someone standing behind him. A mellow voice spoke. “Hey Marinette! Hey Nate!”

“Hey Adrien,” said Marinette, blushing, “I was wondering if you were coming.”

“I was. I just had to take some time to convince my dad, y’know? What’s that?”

“Oh it’s Alix’s watch. I needed to hold it for the race.”

“Can I see it?”

“Oh sure!”

Nathaniel glanced at the two of them, feeling a pit drop in his stomach. Something felt off. Chloé glanced back, noticing Adrien.

“Hi Adrien! I’m  _ so  _ glad you could make it! It’s so crazy…”

Chloé babbled on, before noticing the watch Adrien was holding.

“Hey what’s that?”

Without letting Adrien answer, she grabbed the watch and began fiddling with it.

“Pfft it looks like some cheap toy.”

Nathaniel spoke, his voice trembling, “I don’t know Chloé… I’m pretty sure Alix said it was a family heirloom.”

Chloé ignored him, continuing to fiddle with the watch, “I’m sure my dad could buy me something nicer, but maybe Sabrina would like it. Hey! Sabrina! Check this out!”

Chloé tossed the pocket watch to Sabrina. She missed, the pocket watch sliding out onto the street. It was already the tenth lap. Alix skated through, running over the watch.

“Whoo! Take that, Kim,” she yelled. Alix turned back to the crowd, only to see no one was cheering. 

“Guys? What’s wrong?”

She looked down, seeing the pieces of metal strewn around. She bent down, picking up the cover, which remained unscathed. The rabbit engraved into it lost its gleam.

Marinette furrowed her brow. “Listen Alix, I’m so sorry for your watch, I shouldn’t have let Adrien or Chloe take a look at it. Maybe I could find someone to fix it for you?”

Marc stood at the edge of the crowd. Something wasn’t right. Alix chuckled. “Fix it? FIX IT!?! It’s a family heirloom, made hundreds of years ago! I doubt you know anybody who can fix it.”

A small black butterfly hovered by Alix’s head. She collapsed on the floor, and began to sob; heaving, dry sobs. The breast pocket in Marc’s hoodie rustled.

“Marc, we need to leave. Now.” Marc saw the small butterfly, hovering straight over her head. He turned towards a building, sprinting inside. 

He collapsed in a bathroom stall. 

“Ziggy, what is it?”

“An akuma. I saw it by that girl’s head.”

“Alix? Oh no.”

Marc hunched over, hugging his knees to his chest. He rocked on the lid of the toilet, breathing shakily. 

“Marc? Are you okay?”

“P-purifying the akumas is only one part of it? We need to make sure they don’t get akumatized again, right?”

“Yes…”

“Then how-how can I… how can I fix her watch? I need to fix it.”

“Marc, you know you can’t fix everything.”

Marc turned to Ziggy, distraught.

“But... I know someone who  _ can _ fix this watch. I’ll explain later. Right now we have an akuma to defeat.”

~~~

Nathaniel stood at the centre, clutching the poster. He saw Marc sprinting away in the corner of his eye. He turned to face Alix. She stopped sobbing. Her face was obscured by a dark shadow, with a glowing purple rim. The rim was oddly shaped, almost like a butterfly. He could hear Alix muttering under her breath.

“They took it from me. They couldn’t even let me have one good day.” She paused. She flashed a grin, but one that was far more sinister than what Nathaniel had ever seen before. There was a strange hunger in her eyes. One he couldn’t recognize. This wasn’t Alix. 

The grin muttered two words, “Yes, Hawkmoth.”

A dark mist engulfed her body. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Nathaniel stood there, frozen. 

Silène appeared, running up to Nathaniel and the crowd. 

“You need to leave. Now.” Nathaniel nodded, then sprinted in the other direction. Silène turned around, only to find Alix was gone. 

In her place was a girl of her height, with a green helmet and chunky roller skates. There was some sort of meter attached to her skates. She lurched towards Marinette, who froze the minute she touched her. A small green line on the meter went up. 

“Alix?”

The figure turned towards them. “Oh, you again,” she said, pouting. 

“I thought the guardian would send the ladybug instead, considering the mess you made last time. After all, she’s the only one who can fix everything.”

Marc stared at her, silent. A ladybug? What did that have to do with anything?

“It’s Timebreaker, by the way. _ Not _ Alix”

“Sorry Al-Timebreaker. What ladybug are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Whoever sent you here has the ladybug and cat miraculouses. If you told me who it was, I might be able to spare you.”

Silène looked down, confused. “There’s more miraculouses,” they muttered to themself. They drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t sent here by anyone!”

“And I suppose you just found your own jewel laying around on the streets of Paris? You’re not as bright as I thought you’d be. I guess I’ll have no problem using you like your little friend over there,” she said, gesturing to Marinette.

Silène took a step back, confused. There was definitely something else here. Someone else. They leapt atop a building, before screaming, “Everybody, run!”

Timebreaker tore through the square, plowing through swathes of people. Each time, the bar rose a little higher. 

“Come on Silène, think of a plan… when’s Coq Rouge when you need him,” they groaned.

“You called?”

Coq Rouge crouched down near Silène. “Alright, what’s the deal with her?”

“I think there’s something with her roller skates. Whenever she touches someone, that meter on them goes up.”

“And that’s where the akuma is?”

“Probably. But I don’t know how to break it. This akuma’s … different.”

“Different?”

“They were talking about this ladybug… and these other miraculouses? Do you have any idea what those are about?”

Coq Rouge gulped. Other… miraculouses? He sat for a minute, then spoke, “I didn’t know there were others… but it’s possible. I remember she was talking to someone. Hawkmoth… she called him.”

“Hawkmoth… Do you think that’s the guy behi- Never mind. We have far more important things to do. Now, Coq Rouge, do you know where the akuma is?”

Coq Rouge thought for a moment. “I think I have an idea, but I doubt you’d like it.”

Silène nodded. “Go ahead.”

Coq Rouge tensed up. His eyes seemed a far more vibrant turquoise than Silène remembered. He let out a guttural yell “Solarrow!”

He shot out a red-hot arrow from his bow, onto the asphalt Timebreaker was skating on. The tarmac instantly melted under her feet. She skated off onto solid ground, but her skates were still covered in black tar. Coq Rouge got another arrow, aiming it at the meter on one of her skates. It shattered. He turned to Silène, “Hopefully that’s where the akuma was.” 

Sure enough, a small black butterfly flew out. Silène leapt off, running towards it. They caught it in the hilt of their left sword, before a bright light flashed from it. A dark mist collected around Timebreaker. When it cleared, Alix was lying in its place, next to a pit of molten tarmac. Her eyes fluttered.

“What… what happened?”

Alix looked at the ground, which was scattered with pieces of her watch.

“Oh no,” she groaned, “Don’t tell me I ran over it!”

Silène pat Alix’s shoulder, speaking in a measured tone, “You might have done. But that’s no reason to blame others. What’s done is done. Got it?”

Coq Rouge pursed his lips.

“Silène is right… but it’s also okay to feel sad. I’m sure that watch was very precious to you.” He looked down at his miraculous. He was 30 seconds from de-transforming. “Anyways I think it’s time I leave.”

~~~~~

Marc ran back to the square, where the rest of Nathaniel’s class had already come to. Everyone gathered around Alix, giving their condolences.

“Hey guys, don’t worry,” she said, “At least Kim won’t make any more stupid dares. Besides, even if it doesn’t work it still has the… spirit of a family heirloom.” She sighed.

“I know someone who could fix it,” blurted Marc.

Alix looked up, her eyes widening. “You do?” Everyone turned around, staring at Marc.

“Y-yeah, of course. I just need all the pieces so it can be repaired properly.”

She jumped up, hugging him tightly. “Thanks, Marc. You’re the best!”

Marc grinned, crouching down on the street to find remnants of the shattered watch. Thankfully none of the pieces had fallen into the tarmac. He collected the last piece, and took the metro to a run-down suburb, following Ziggy’s directions. He spent the train ride wondering what lay in store, not only for himself, but for the rest of Paris. 


End file.
